Shaun is a gorgeous cat who was brought to us after he went missing one day. He returned home after 24 hours but his owners soon realised he was not his usual self, being much quieter than usual and not wanting to eat. 

Shaun was brought to Hollybank. On examination, his heart was beating very fast and we could hear a heart murmur, this is an abnormal flow of blood within the heart. He was also breathing with more effort than was normal and showed signs of dehydration. He certainly was a very poorly boy.

Worried about his heart and breathing, we did an ultrasound scan of his heart to check his heart function, and saw a very unusual appearance. The tissue around his heart, where his lungs should be, did not look like normal lung, but had the appearance of liver tissue. We were also unable to see his diaphragm which made us concerned about a diaphragmatic rupture. 

The diaphragm is a muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdomen. It prevents abdominal organs such as the liver, stomach and intestines from getting into the chest, ensuring the heart and lungs have enough space to function properly. The diaphragm can rupture after trauma, such as a road traffic accident or a fall. We could tell from the ultrasound scan that Shaun’s liver was next to his heart and this was stopping it from beating properly, it was also in the way of his lungs, causing his difficulty breathing.

Surgery was the only option to fix Shaun’s diaphragm, which is unfortunately a very risky procedure. Anaesthetic risk is higher in any animal which is unwell, but with Shaun’s compromised heart and lung function his anaesthetic risks were even higher. The only other option was to euthanase Shaun so his owners made the brave decision to proceed to surgery.

Fortunately Shaun did well during the surgery, we were able to repair his diaphragm and when recovering from the anaesthetic we could already see him breathing more comfortably. From there Shaun went from strength to strength. He stayed in the hospital for a few nights to monitor his recovery, ensure his hydration with fluids and provide adequate pain relief.  Once he was comfy and eating well to keep him rested at home with plenty of TLC and cuddles.

We were over the moon to see him back for his post-op check looking so much better and well on his way to recovery!